Grandma Mossie Boyle’s Diaries

Recently we have been entrusted with two briefcases filled with Grandma (Mossie) Boyle’s diaries. The oldest if from 1906 and the newest from 1976, most are from the 1950s and 1960s.

We plan to scan, archive and then Bev will transcribe. Here is a photo of the contents of the two briefcases, which we have started to organize by date. In the foreground are three diaries that are older than any of us! I am already searching advice on how to preserve the 1906 one prior to scanning. Grandma also kept a large file of newspaper clippings (top of picture). 

Bev is in the picture currently transcribing her own diary from 2003 to 2012

My vision is that one of our descendants might write a novel about the life of Saskatchewan settlers!

Grandma was born in 1891, moved to Saskatchewan in 1905 and married Grandpa in 1912

A vision

I am one of the oldest of Grandma’s descendants. I haven’t counted how many descendants she has, but I trust that one of them, perhaps not yet born, will develop a passion for preserving this work into the next century! Let’s do what we can to seed that suggestion with our cousins and siblings and niblings with the hope of entrenching a “family tradition” of looking after Grandma’s diaries …

My hope is that all of Grandma’s descendants will talk about “Grandma Mossie Boyle’s Diaires” — that date from the beginning of the 20^th Century! We just need to watch for opportunities to pass the passion on. I entrust the rest to God.

Chris